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Steve Faktor on the Past, Present, and Future of Google+

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

That’s why I think the company should open source the code and seed it with cash and several developers. Give it the freedom that loyal power users deserve. It could become the next Mozilla (Firefox). And Google can still benefit from the data it generates.

I've long thought of my relationship with Google+ as love/ hate. Turns out that what I loved about it was its potential, not its reality. While everyone else was splitting up their offerings into standalone products, Google was going the opposite direction, stuffing their entire line of products into one gigantic ecosystem.

Looking back, that wasn't the best move. The godfather of Google+ is gone, and the future of Google's alleged Facebook killer is in question.

So what happened? More importantly, what should happen? Steve Faktor looks back on the short history of Google+, and gives a simple prescription to serve as its saving grace.